Darbhanga, Aug. 12: The 18 Lalit Narayan Mithila University (LNMU) employees staging a dharna on the university premises since August 8 for not receiving their salary for almost a year called off their agitation today but have threatened to go on a fast-unto-death if their demands were not met with.

To press for the payment of their salaries, the employees have been staging a dharna between 10.30am and 4.30pm. They have not been receiving their salaries since September 2010.

Sources told The Telegraph the agitating employees had approached Patna High Court against the university’s decision to transfer them. The court issued a stay order on February 2 this year.

In May, the high court passed the order in favour of the employees and asked the university to pay their salaries. Three months have passed since then but the salaries have not been paid.

Rajesh Kumar Sahani, one of the agitating employees, said: “The court quashed our transfer order. Yet, our salaries have not been paid. It is not likely that the vice-chancellor, Samrendra Pratap Singh, will obey the verdict.”

Another employee, Sabir Ahmed, told The Telegraph: “We have been transferred to various colleges even though we were working at the university on sanctioned posts. According to the governor’s office and the high court order, the university and the colleges are two distinct units and the employees of the former cannot be transferred to the latter. On the contrary, the college employees can be brought to the university on deputation.”

Ahmed added: “We were transferred to different colleges in December 2010. The salaries of September, October and November, 2010 were sent to the respective colleges though we had not joined there. Since then, the university has not paid our salary.”

A source said: “Instead of obeying the court order, the vice-chancellor is likely to table the matter before a division bench. As of now, there seems to be no way out for the university employees.”